A night just like any other
by Clownfood
Summary: Just a normal evening among very abnormal people. What occurs in Lea Monde during the quiet evenings? Hardin thinks about a life soon to be lost.


AUTHORS NOTES

Yeah, I had to upload this again because I read trough the "authors notes" and I sounded freaking high! No one would read a story with such an incoherent "autnors notes"! I have no idea who that happened.

Anyhooooooow. This fic is one of my old and few Vagrant Story fics. I love writing about Sydney and Hardin, but usually, I never publish anything. this is acctually themy first time displaying a VS fic. yay for me.I'm quite pleased with his one, thoughI don' think it's the same quality as the "Holding my thoughts inside" - triology. I might have messed a few things up in this short fic but no matter right now.As was the case with my Advent Children fics - thins fic is also a little family-related. I like writing about the normal life of abnormal people. its fun! Okay, I'm just rambling! Tell me what you think okay and enjoy!

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It was late in the evening, to late for a child his age to be up, way past his bedtime. For a bedtime he had, ironically. In the middle of all the chaos in our "lives", we managed that discipline for Joshua. Sydney was just having a late dinner, as always. He eats seldom and little, but it seems he eats even less now days. I used to force him to eat something, but Ashley does not do that. But what does he really know of the limitations of Sydney's strength? Nothing! Ashley was reading something, although I doubt that the big hillbilly can read his own name. Sydney was almost done dining, when one of the big wooden doors opened, just a little. Just enough for a little boy like Joshua to be able to slip trough. He is wearing a nightingale and squeezing a teddy-bear to his chest. I remember that bear, I got it for him when he was ill. Oh, how I adored that child! Joshua stopped right in front of the door and looks silently at Sydney with his huge blue eyes. They have the same eyes, Sydney and he. Big, blue enchanting eyes. Although Sydney's holds all the pain and all the troubles he suffers, and they are stained by the dark. Joshua's gaze is pure innocence, still. But in a few years, they too will probably be infected by the Dark. Sydney turns towards his little brother, who looks shyly at him. I can tell he still holds a little fear for his big brother.

"What are you doing up? You should be sound asleep by now" Sydney says, but his voice his not harsh, nor dimmed, as when he talks to others. I be damned if it isn't warmth I hear in his voice!

Joshua does not answer directly. He walks up to Sydney's chair and takes hold of a nib of the ragged piece of clothing that Sydney wears around his waist.

"There is a dead man in my room" Joshua whispers, without looking at his brother.

"Well, there is a dead man here too" Sydney replays and looks towards me "Se, Hardin is here"

"A bad man…" Joshua answers silently.

I'm glad I don't classify as a 'bad man'. I can se the tenderness flashing by in Sydney's eyes. He would like to hold his brother, but he is so afraid of hurting him, that he does not touch him… ever. It's sad, because children need some physical comfort. Joshua knows that he can never get that from Sydney. Perhaps is that why he still fears him. Physical contact is easier for children to handle then mental.

"Does he scare you?" Sydney asks.

Joshua gives a nod for an answer. He blushes slightly.

"Why?" Sydney continues.

"Be-because he says things" Joshua answers "He says that he is going to kill me, that I am the offspring of evil"

He looks up at his brother.

"And he has a knife in his back" he adds.

Now, Ashley looks up too. Well, no one can accuse him of being bright. Sydney gazes into his brothers face, then gives him a serious look.

"And what have I taught you about ghosts, Joshua?" he demands.

Joshua lowers his gaze, as well as his tone as he replays.

"That they are only as powerful as I believe them to be and that I should not be scared of them because I am superior to them and they are nothing"

Somehow, I feel kind of insulted by that.

"Exactly" Sydney says "Very good"

"But…" Joshua looks up at his brother again "I AM scared…"

Sydney let's out a little sight. Not a disappointed or an irritated one, just a breath of air. Joshua tilted his head and allowed it to rest on Sydney legs. He closes his eyes.

"Please make him go away" the boy whispers.

There is a clatter of iron against iron as Sydney raises one of his claw-like hands. He allows it to hover over Joshua's shoulder, afraid to expose it's weight to the boy's fragile body. Joshua is just as slim and delicate as Sydney must have been at his age. He appeared so weak and tender, like a glass-doll, but it was just a illusion, a disguise for the tremendous powers that lurked inside the boy's body. Yet Joshua wasn't old enough to be able to use his power, but the Dark grew inside of him, both Sydney and I knew it but to well. Sydney never wanted for his brother to gain the power, but we had soon discovered that he too carried the Blood Sin that damned all the prophets of Léa Monde. That's why we had kidnapped Joshua that night at the Mansion. We needed to get him out of there before the Duke discovered the truth that would more force then allow him to murder his son, just as he had tried to murder Sydney 23 years before. God, those memories! Seeing Joshua for the fist time, that angel-like face, his golden hair all a mess and those huge blue eyes filling with tears as he looked up at me in fear. But he didn't scream when I put the rag drowned in chloroform to his mouth, nor did he try to free himself from my grip. Perhaps he already then knew about the danger he was in. One death was as good as the other. Those memories are fading now, turning into nothing but a blur in my mind. Just as the Real, living, World is fading for my eyes. Soon, this to will be gone, and all that will be left is the Dark.

I reflected on that as I followed Sydney and Joshua trough the corridors of what had been our mansion, our fortress of solitude. Now, I guess it's their fortress, Sydney's, Ashley's and lovely little Joshua's. I watched as Sydney read the traditional spell and forced the other spirit, that I could not se, nor sense, away. I observed, with a smile, when Sydney helped Joshua to bed and sat with him until he fell asleep. Soon, I would have to leave all this, but I treasured these moments and it made me forget my fear of vanishing into nothingness. The look on Joshua's face as he slept was worth it all.

Sydney walked out of the room, with me hovering behind him. As he had silently closed the door behind him he leaned against it, his blonde hair covering his bent head like a curtain.

"It's just so hard without you John" he whispered. He looked up, straight at me. I knew that he couldn't se me that well any longer. I knew my lines was fading, becoming nothing but a blur, just like my memories. I let my hand touch his shoulder and gave him a smile. Then my vision faded. But I wasn't scared of this anymore, because I know that I will always be remembered.


End file.
